Am I Ready To Be A Mom?

Even though some people think that teenagers have it easy, I’m not one of them. Actually, being a teenager is not always fun. It can be scary, confusing, and lonely, but we’re not supposed to admit that!

Things are not like they were when my mom was young. Then it was “bad” to have a baby as a teenager. Today, plenty of girls have babies and they make it seem so simple. There is a lot of pressure from other kids to have sex and to have a baby. But, I’m not so sure that I’m ready to be a mom. Here are some things that I wonder about:

1. Older people talk about how sick a woman can get because of morning sickness.
Who would want to be “sick”? Would I be able to handle all of that throwing up and being nauseous? Plus, what if it lasts the whole time instead of just a couple of months? I don’t know if I could handle almost a year of feeling like I want to gag. I hate to throw up when I’m sick!

2. They say that I would probably gain about 30 pounds and my face might change.
Will I be able to look cute and cool in maternity clothes? Doubtful! I haven’t seen too many people look cute during their pregnancy. I don’t want my face to change. Will I end up with a nose that swells and then never goes back to the right size? Will that “mask” that people talk about leave me 3 or 4 shades darker. I like the way that I look now. Why would I want to change?

3. People say that having a baby hurts.
Some people have even told me that they had pain while they were pregnant, when they had the baby, and after they had the baby. Would I be able to deal with all of that pain?

4. I never had to be in charge of anything.
How in the world would I raise a child? I don’t even know any babies. Don’t babies need all types of stuff like diapers and baby milk? I’m still dealing with my own issues around doing the “right” thing. How in the world could I tell a child what to do if I can’t even do the right thing like I’m supposed to all of the time?

5. I can’t stand the sound of babies crying.
How can somebody deal with all of that crying, whining, and noise?!? It’s not like it’s the latest song. It’s crying, and lots of it! What’s fun about that? Plus, how would I get a baby that can’t talk or do stuff for itself to stop when I get tired of hearing it? What if that baby gets sick? I think that would be too much to manage.

Other girls make having a baby seem like the “thing” to do. I don’t think that it is. I have heard of girls getting pregnant and then not knowing what they could do about it. I would think that it would be really hard to make the decision between having an abortion, placing your baby for adoption, and possibly even keeping it. Before I get myself in to that situation, I’m going to really think about this pregnancy thing and all of the stuff, and of course changes, that it could cause in my life.